1. Technical Field
The present application relates generally to an improved data processing system and method. More specifically, the present application is directed to error processing across a multiple initiator network in an independent or self-contained host environment.
2. Description of Related Art
A storage area network (SAN) is a network of storage disks. In large enterprises, a SAN connects multiple servers to a centralized pool of disk storage. A host is a computer that acts as a source of information or signals. The term can refer to any computer, from a centralized mainframe to a server to a client machine. In a network, clients and servers are hosts because they are both sources of information in contrast to network devices, such as routers and switches, which are responsible only for directing traffic.
An initiator is a host-side endpoint in a communication session on a SAN. Initiators are typically connected to storage devices, such as hard disk drives, for example, through a network of controllers, routers, and switches. A switch, for instance, is a mechanical or electronic device that directs the flow of electrical or optical signals from one side to the other.
In a multiple initiator storage network, error symptoms are distributed among many initiators. Therefore, no one initiator has a holistic view of all the errors that are occurring in the network. These errors are logged by the initiator to the local attached host. The server may have one or more hosts, which each contain one or many initiators. Each host is treated independently and functions in a separate environment. Therefore, the host does not have the necessary holistic view of the underlying storage network.
An error on the network may appear in multiple separate symptoms on all hosts, one on each host, or one on only one of the hosts. A common trigger event on the network may result in different error symptoms being raised on each host due to the state of the local initiator at the time. If these error symptoms were processed independently, then each host may arrive at a different conclusion, which may result in a different error recovery procedure being followed by each host.